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Poké Bowl & MEZE case study

"Nearly half of our employees signed up for Viacurrent in the first month. Helping them improve their financial well-being plays a big role in keeping them happy, motivated, and attracting new talent."

Ivar Gusev

HR Manager

Poke Bowl & MEZE

Poké Bowl & MEZE are among the most beloved and fastest-growing restaurants in Estonia and Finland. Serving Hawaiian-inspired poké bowls and Middle Eastern flavours, they operate 13 restaurants.

As customer demand grew, so did their team, which has expanded significantly in the past few years. Ivar Gusev, the HR manager, has been in charge of recruiting and retaining staff.

One of his top priorities is keeping employees happy at Poké Bowl & MEZE: "Along with our customers and the environment, our team is one of our three main focuses. We invest daily in their well-being to ensure the company's long-term success."

Restaurants

Industry

Software

Catering

Planday, SimplBooks

Planday

Financial well-being is the biggest source of stress for restaurant employees

Poké Bowl & MEZE takes pride in offering a stress-free work environment, but inflation and reduced purchasing power also affect their workers.

This is also the case for restaurant staff in the Netherlands. According to Nibud’s 2024 report, 54% of Dutch low-income employees regularly have difficulties to make ends meet.

Financial stress causes employees to be less engaged, focused, and motivated at work. Ivar wanted to find a way to support his team, but traditional employee benefits weren’t relevant for shift workers.

Signed up in the first month

Understanding the needs of shift workers

The decision to launch Viacurrent was easy, as Ivar saw interest from the employees themselves: "Our people feel their wants and opinions are being heard. Before launching Viacurrent, we had an online survey for the employees, and 42% expressed interest in the service – indicating significant demand."

Viacurrent is tailored specifically for shift workers – after each shift, employees can track and access their earned wages, while also learning about managing their finances.

The product's responsible setup mitigated any potential risks for Ivar and the management. Employees can access up to 50% of their earned wages, ensuring they never receive a zero paycheck. Additionally, the earnings overview and financial education help them make smarter choices with their money.

68.4%

used flexible pay

31.6%

tracked shifts and used the financial hub

Easy implementation and zero admin

For the accounting and HR teams, Viacurrent’s ease of administration was key. Ivar described how Viacurrent was one of the easiest benefits to launch and manage: “Viacurrent took care of integrating with our software and processes. We didn’t really have any extra work or administration. Our payroll, time tracking, and cash flow remained the same.”

At launch, the Viacurrent team sent an introduction email to employees, distributed flyers in the restaurants, and answered questions from staff. Additionally, employees can receive 24/7 customer support, with 95% of queries answered within 1 hour.

Bolt rõhub enda värbamisreklaamides iganädalastele palgamaksetele

Allikas: Bolti Facebooki reklaam

Employees love the flexibility

Employees quickly adopted Viacurrent – 45% signed up in the first month, and more than 70% signed up after the first 6 months. On average, employees make 1-2 transfers per month in the amount of €70.

Aside from flexible pay, Viacurrent’s app is used more frequently to track earnings for finished shifts and learn about money management.

Ivar believes that meeting employees’ needs has been key to attracting, retaining, and motivating people: "People increasingly want flexibility in their working hours, environment, and pay. Hearing from employees about their previous workplaces, it’s great to know that flexibility gives us a competitive advantage in recruitment."

Sustainable growth for Poké Bowl & MEZE

In addition to domestic expansion, Poké Bowl & MEZE are preparing to take their franchise abroad. Ivar’s challenge is to maintain employee well-being throughout this growth: "The organization’s growth is only sustainable with satisfied and motivated employees. Especially in our industry, where the quality of service and product directly depends on the staff."

When asked what advice he’d give to other restaurants for managing their staff, Ivar said: "When it comes to the benefits package, it’s important to really listen to what your employees need. For more than half of our people, flexible pay is crucial."

RESOURCES

Frequently Asked Questions

REGION

Eesti

Europe